2 Cardiff City players who are surely eyeing a 2025 escape route | OneFootball

Football League World looks at two potential Cardiff City exits in 2025

Cardiff City had a high squad turnover once again over the course of the summer transfer window, undertaking plenty of activity in the way of both incomings and outgoings.

From Anwar El Ghazi and Alex Robertson to Callum Chambers and Chris Willock, the Bluebirds brought eight fresh faces to the Cardiff City Stadium in what was a largely high-profile window.

However, no less than 12 players left the club on either a temporary or permanent basis, with Erol Bulut having been to conduct squad surgery. Of course, though, those efforts are yet to come to fruition.

Nonetheless, there could yet be more departures in the not-too-distant future - and Football League World has decided to take a look at two potential 2025 exits.

Rubin Colwill

The general school of thought among the Bluebirds faithful is that mercurial playmaker Rubin Colwill could well seek pastures new if Bulut continues to deny him the consistent starting berth he so clearly deserves.

A precocious and technically-gifted playmaker, Colwill is simply Cardiff's most dangerous attacking outlet. Innately inventive, refreshingly confident and undeniably talented when charging forward at opposing defenders, the Wales international can go solo and dictate the rhythm and intensity in which his side attack with.

Forward freedom, of course, comes at a real premium for a side who are fundamentally pragmatic in their approach, prioritise patient ball retention at the expense of invention, flair and X-Factor and have almost invariably played with the handbrake on at all times during Bulut's reign.

Colwill has once again been used from the bench this season despite the side's poor early season form, with their turgid and slow-paced attacking play becoming a particular sticking point. Such is the absurdity of the situation, external questions are even being poked towards Bulut now.

Cardiff are simply not a good enough team to not include a player of his quality. They do not create enough opportunities, or have quite the strength of personnel, to justify his continued omission.

Of course, the 22-year-old recently turned heads with a scintillating 30-yard screamer in Cardiff's 5-3 Carabao Cup exit to Southampton last month - where he was hauled off with 30 minutes to spare only to find his place on the bench in their next match against Middlesbrough.

The goal, however, only added to the esteemed regard in which Colwill is held in by Russell Martin, who saw plenty of him during his managerial tenure in SA1 and offered previous praise following Cardiff's 2-1 win over Southampton last season.

"Their [Cardiff's] first goal is a moment of brilliance from a player I've liked for a long time. He is a really talented player," Martin said of Colwill.

"I think he needs to become a really good Championship player first [before thinking about the Premier League]. He hasn't played enough games and he needs to get himself in the Cardiff team regularly.

"But I watched a lot of him for Wales under-21s when I was [at Swansea], I watched most of the Wales under-21s and first-team games. I used to bump into his dad all the time while travelling and we used to have a chat.

"I'm not his manager, so I don't see him day to day, but he has to make sure he becomes the first name on the team sheet for Cardiff because he has moments like tonight and I've seen him have a few moments over the last couple of years that a lot of players just don't possess. Really special.

"But he has to make sure he can use that special talent by being on the pitch more than he is now. I hope I haven't spoken out of turn, but that would be my assessment."

It would be regrettable for Cardiff - and agonising for supporters - to see Colwill leave at all, let alone into the hands of somebody who has been a real pantomine villain over recent years in the Welsh capital.

But Colwill's ceiling is undeniably higher than Cardiff or the Championship - so they should first be trying to optimise his skillset, his potential, a high sale value while they can - and they need to remember that a Premier League departure is not an unrealistic possibility by any stretch.

Cian Ashford

Another highly-rated product of Cardiff's academy and a timely indicator of the productive and strategic efforts that have been placed into bolstering a formerly decaying youth system, Cian Ashford possesses vast potential but may need to seek a loan exit to realise it.

Capable of operating anywhere across the frontline, Ashford is direct, quick off the mark and is blessed with excellent ball-striking ability, all of which earned rave reviews from ardent followers of the U21 setup and club insiders.

It was something of a surprise that Cardiff did not manage to find a suitable loan destination over the summer, as Ashford is certainly talented enough to play at League One level at a minimum but is primed to find regular and immediate opportunities hard to come by with the Bluebirds. Bulut places limited trust in youth as it is, and the arrivals of Willock and El Ghazi have only pushed the 19-year-old further down the pecking order.

Coincidentally, though, Ashford himself also scored from range against Martin's Saints side last term in the aforementioned victory, marking his first start for the club with a 96th minute winner infront of the Canton Stand.

His performances at the back-end of the previous season proved what a talent he really is, and the attacker is ready to play first-team football on a consistent basis.